Skill Cortex Server vs Skillsmith
A side-by-side look at the Skill Cortex Server and Skillsmith MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Skill Cortex Server for coding agents work as a local process; choose Skillsmith for coding agents as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Skill Cortex Server when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
SKILL_CORTEX_ROOTS, SKILL_CORTEX_CACHE_PATH, SKILL_CORTEX_TAGS_PATH. - You want tools like
path, query, tags.
Choose Skillsmith when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Coding Agents domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search, get_skill, install_skill.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 60/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SKILL_CORTEX_ROOTSSKILL_CORTEX_CACHE_PATHSKILL_CORTEX_TAGS_PATH | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 24 | 77 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 16 | 43 |
| Full listing | View Skill Cortex Server | View Skillsmith |
Tools & capabilities
Skill Cortex Server tools 16
pathquerytagsskill_idsectionmax_linesmodeupdatesdescriptioninstructionslicensemetadata- +4 more on the listing page
Skillsmith tools 43
searchSearch skills with filters (query, category, trust tier, min score)get_skillGet detailed skill information including install commandinstall_skillInstall a skill to your local environmentuninstall_skillRemove an installed skillskill_recommendGet contextual skill recommendationsskill_suggestSuggest skills from your current project context (counts against your monthly quota)skill_validateValidate a skill's structure and qualityskill_compareCompare two skills side-by-sideskill_outdatedCheck installed skills for staleness and dependency statusskill_rescanRe-scan an installed skill with the latest security patternsskill_publishValidate a skill and prepare it for publishingskill_recover_sourceRecover the GitHub source of locally installed skills (read-only)- +31 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Skill Cortex Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"sim-xia-skill-cortex-server": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"skill-cortex-lite"
],
"env": {
"SKILL_CORTEX_ROOTS": "YOUR_SKILL_CORTEX_ROOTS_HERE",
"SKILL_CORTEX_CACHE_PATH": "YOUR_SKILL_CORTEX_CACHE_PATH_HERE",
"SKILL_CORTEX_TAGS_PATH": "YOUR_SKILL_CORTEX_TAGS_PATH_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Skillsmith
{
"mcpServers": {
"skillsmith": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@skillsmith/mcp-server"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Skill Cortex Server is categorized under Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Skillsmith belongs to Coding Agents and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Skill Cortex Server for coding agents work and Skillsmith for coding agents.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Skill Cortex Server is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Skillsmith has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add sim-xia-skill-cortex-server and skillsmith as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Skill Cortex Server has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 24 GitHub stars. Skillsmith has 60/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 77 GitHub stars.